The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-07

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J whole force into action, and leaving o
D. fresh trceps In reserve; Its men 6
orn out by fatigue and its ranks v
battered by the casualties Of battle, 7,
ursuit could only be practicable In u
le case OF an enemy routed and fly Z
u in state OF disorganiEation.
Such was not the condition OF either {
the armies selected for illustration I
that Of Mcclellan or Burnside. I
Teither had been routed, both had re-
Ired and taken strong positions sd. ,
antageously covered by artillery, and
he former supported by gunboats in /
he James river.
To those familiar with the facts, the I
,lame Of Lee for allowing Burnside to
scape firm the slight place" in which
10 was after the battle OF Fredericks-
,urg can only provoke smile; but
or such as may take Gen. Wolseley as
what he calls tight place"
will be described.
The town OF Fredericksburg 10 on
he south side Of the Rappahannock
river; a wide plain extends behind the
Town to q commanding ridge. On this
ridge Lees force YVES sdvantsgeously
posted. On the north side OF the river,
and near 10 IL, Ia the bold range known
AZ Stafford flights. Here Burnside
had assembled his formidable army,
while farther up the river was Hooker
with another army. Burnside, after
serious opposition, cros3ed the river
and attacked Lee in position. Not
withstanding his numerical superiority
and the bravery OF his troops, he was
repulsed, and recroeaed the river on
the pontoon bridges he bad provided.
On the nights Of Stafford, with numer-
GUS batteries commanding the plain on |
the south side Of the river, the poptoon
bridges across which were his own,
and an army, though Its losses were
heavy, yet larger than the force oppo-
sed to him, his position might well be
called "tioht" in q different sense from
that which the censor, in the guise OF
eulogist, uees the word.
Enough, perhaps, has been shown
to answer the criticism, but from the
abundance OF material may be drawn
the fact that Hooker's army was in
supporting distance OF Burnside on
the north, and as Lees army was con-
fronting both to prevent their advance
southwark, he could not wisely have
placed one wing OF his army beyond
supporting distance OF the other, or
engaged in an enterprise, even II
fe isible, which would consequently
expose the country he was defending.
Lee was always daring, but never
reckless Of the lives Of his men, and
he fought, not for self glorification,
but for the safety OF his country and
the success of its cause. A charge
against him for risking too much
could be better sustained than for
over caution and the neglect OF op.
poYtunities. He seldom had an oc-
casion where the odds were not
against him, and recollect once be-
ing present at conference when a
bright and we'll educated soldier began
to calculate the chances OF q proposed
movement with pencil In hand, but
Lee, smiling, told him to put his
pencil up, for II 1--WE 90 to cyphering
we shall be whipped beforehand"
had almost forgotten that the sup.
posed failure to pursue and prevent
the escape OF the enemy was attributed
to the want OF O thoroughly good
staff" but how the staff, without
fresh troops, would pursue and pre-
vent the escape of retreating enemy,
has not been explained. "Indocti
discant." Perhaps the process is like
that OF the Irishmsn who brought in
four prisoners and accounted for the
capture by saying he surrounded
them"
In the same vein Of dlsparsgement
OF the officers Of Lse's army, and in
apparent ignorance OF the fact that we
had other armies, that forces were en-
bodied in the several States to be sent
to different parts Of the Oonfederacy,
and that he had general staff, with
me officers OF rare ability and large
experience, at the head OF depart.
ments OF organization, as well as OF
supply, Gen. Wolseley writes:
"Those who know how difficult il is Ia
| supply our own militia and volunteer fOrcei
with efficient officers can appreciate what
aificulties Gen. Lee had to overcome IN tn
formation Of the army he so often led to vic
tory. He had about him able assistants who
like himself, had received an excellent mil
itary education Mt West Point. To the in
experienced soldier 1t Is NO matter Of sur
prise, but to the general reader II Will be Q
Interest to know that on either side In thi
war almost every general whose name vii
be remembered In the future had been edu
Gated AZ that military school, and had beef
trained In the old regular army Of the Unit
cd States"
That elementary education in th'
science Of war Is great advantage to
general, is a proposition not to be de
MED, but native endowment ia,
think, more essential requisite, an,
In his army, as we'll as in others, W
had generals not taught at Yves
Point" or Grained in the old regu q
army Of the United Sta,es," who's
names will all be remembered as lon
as the traditions OF our war shall las
: or It's history be read. II Is surprisin
that one should have visited Lee
headquarters and In free conversstio
not have heard OF Gordon and HamI
ton and Breckenridge and Rhodes an
Colt and Taylor and Hope and Aehle
and Barkedale, and many others VIII
! came from civil life, and by distir
guished service won the commissio
,, Of general. should the army of tn
,, South west and that OF the trans Mi
sissippi be included, the list would b
very large.
, The most attentive listener, or cart
less reader Of the annals Of our wa
might be supposed to have learned
. the extraordinary efforts In Missoul
ard Kentucky to preserve their at
tonomy. Shall Price and Bowen, an
a Little, and johnson, and Morgan an
Hanson be forgottenp Shall not th
, deeds of Forrest aud Mccullough b
I remembered While there shall b
s reunions Of Confederate soldiers thes
!. aud other names will be pivotal poinl
b around which the camp fire remini
2 censes will gather, and in the MOI
!. distant future be household words l
, the traditions OF the past.
Gen. Lee, as known to those VIII
: had been his friends from youth {
!, age, was not loquacious or prone /
8 volunteer his opinions upon generi
I subjects, and thus 1t appesrsthat GEL
!. Wolseley must have been In the pal
, Of mind reader, rather than listene
r in some OF his citations. There is on
2 instance, which 1t seems well to MOTTO
q | l. Il a.. 01nalawnI ~, n